rcourtman
7eb32f3181
## Problem
Setting an alert global default to a positive trigger of 5 or less, for
example Machines CPU at 1% in Alerts > Thresholds, stored
`agentDefaults.cpu` as `{trigger: 1, clear: 75}`, a clear far above its
trigger.
The thresholds page sends `clear = max(0, trigger - 5)`, which is 0 for
those triggers. `NormalizeAgentDefaults` derived `trigger - 5`, found it
non-positive, and fell back to the factory clear (75/80/85).
`ValidateHysteresisThresholds` never checked agent CPU, memory or disk,
so the pair survived. PBS CPU/memory, node temperature and
`internal/config/persistence.go` had the same fallback. On the save
path, validation repaired PBS and node temperature, but
`LoadAlertConfig` still turned a stored node temperature clear of 0 into
75; at startup `UpdateConfig` repaired that in memory.
Per-type `DiskFillByType` / `DiskTempByType` entries were worse: any
clear ≤0 reset the whole pair. A SATA disk temperature trigger of 4 from
the thresholds page was stored as 55, and an API-written fill entry of
`{88, 0}` became `{90, 85}`.
## What a user saw
- **Firing and resolving did not change for these pairs.**
`buildCanonicalMetricSpec` drops a clear at or above the trigger, and
the reducer then clears at the trigger. That held both before and after
this change. There was no flapping and no alert that never re-armed.
- `/api/alerts/config` and `alerts.json` served the factory clear above
the trigger.
- Firing agent alerts carried it as `metadata.clearThreshold`: 75 on a
1% CPU alert, and 85 on a disk alert still firing at 81.8%.
- A per-type disk trigger of 1–5 was silently replaced by the type
default.
- Machines metric bars: `resolveThreshold` in `metricThresholds.ts`
clamps the warning level to `min(clear, trigger)`, so a 1–5% agent
trigger had no warning band. Readings below the trigger, including 0,
now show amber instead of green, which matches guest, node, Docker and
Kubernetes bars at the same setting. This one is read from the code; I
did not exercise it in a browser.
## Fix
- PBS, node temperature, agent and per-type disk defaults now use
`normalizeThresholdPointer`, the normalizer Kubernetes, TrueNAS and
vSphere already use. A missing clear sits five points under the trigger,
floored at 0. A clear at or above the trigger is repaired. Zero still
means off for global defaults, and nil or negative still takes the
factory default. For the canonical per-type keys (the types the page
edits), a non-positive trigger still resets to the type default, because
the page cannot represent a per-type Off; other per-type keys are stored
as written, as before.
- `internal/config/persistence.go` drops its duplicate
agent/node-temperature and storage helpers and calls the same normalizer
through a new `NormalizeHysteresisThreshold`. A config saved before this
fix loads repaired.
- Agent CPU/memory/disk/disk temperature are added to
`ValidateHysteresisThresholds`, as every other family already is.
- One deliberate behaviour change for invalid pairs above the margin: an
API-written `{50, 80}` is repaired to `{50, 45}`, so it now has a real
recovery band where it used to clear at the trigger. This matches what
`EnsureValidHysteresis` already does for every other family.
- An alerts contract clause records the rule.
## Verification
- `internal/alerts/config/normalize_low_trigger_clear_test.go` runs
every default family and both per-type maps through the `UpdateConfig`
normalizer chain.
- `TestUpdateConfigKeepsLowTriggerClearBelowTrigger` pins the saved
config and a firing alert's `clearThreshold`.
- `persistence_test.go` checks the written `alerts.json` itself as well
as load repair.
- All new tests fail against the previous normalizers. Coverage cases
that pinned the old fallback (including one labelled "suspected source
bug") are updated.
- `go test ./internal/alerts/... ./internal/config/ ./internal/ai/`
passes.
- Live, on private mock stacks (baseline binary vs this branch): I saved
the payload the thresholds page sends, then read back
`/api/alerts/config`.
- Baseline: agent `{1,75}`, `{3,80}`, `{5,85}`; `diskTempByType.sata`
`{55,50}` for a 4°C trigger; firing agent alerts reported
`clearThreshold` 75/80/85.
- This branch: every pair `{t, 0}`, `diskTempByType.sata` `{4, 0}`, and
alerts reported 1/3/5.
- After a restart, this branch also repaired a hand-written
`alerts.json` holding `{1,75}` and node temperature `{2,75}`.
Pulse
Real-time Proxmox, Docker and Kubernetes monitoring that finds what needs attention.
Pulse is a self-hosted monitoring workspace for Proxmox, Docker, Kubernetes, TrueNAS, physical and virtual machines, and early-access VMware vSphere environments. It combines live infrastructure state, history, alerts, recovery visibility, and scheduled health checks without requiring a conventional enterprise monitoring stack.
Why Pulse
- It watches between visits. Alerts and Pulse Patrol find failed backups, capacity pressure, restart loops, unhealthy containers, clock drift, and other problems that dashboards cannot surface when nobody is looking.
- It keeps each platform familiar. Proxmox, Docker, Kubernetes, TrueNAS, vSphere, and machines have dedicated views, backed by one shared resource model for search, alerts, history, and investigation.
- It stays operator-controlled. Credentials are encrypted at rest, API tokens are scoped, agent commands are disabled by default, and governed fixes require the configured policy and approval path.
Platform coverage
| Platform | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Proxmox VE, PBS, and PMG | Nodes, guests, storage, backups, replication, Ceph, mail gateways, and alerts |
| Docker and Podman | Hosts, containers, Compose projects, Swarm services, health, images, and updates |
| Kubernetes | Clusters, nodes, workloads, pods, services, storage, and events through the unified agent |
| TrueNAS SCALE and CORE | Pools, datasets, disks, snapshots, replication tasks, apps, VMs, and alerts |
| Linux, Windows, and macOS machines | Host health, filesystems, networking, temperatures, RAID, and availability through the unified agent |
| VMware vSphere | Early-access inventory, hosts, clusters, VMs, datastores, networks, snapshots, and recovery context; validate against your own vCenter before production use |
Platform pages keep storage and recovery information beside the infrastructure it belongs to. Alerts, Actions, and Patrol remain cross-platform views.
Patrol: monitoring that does rounds
Pulse Patrol runs scheduled checks across the current state and recent history of your infrastructure. Community installations can use a local model or their own AI provider for watch-only analysis. Pulse Pro adds investigation and policy-bound fixes with approval, verification, and an audit trail.
Pulse also includes an interactive Assistant and an MCP adapter for external clients such as Claude Code and OpenCode. Both sit on top of the same scoped inventory, metrics, alert, storage, and governed-action contracts.
Quick start
Choose an exact version from the latest release and keep that version pinned during installation.
Docker
docker run -d \
--name pulse \
-p 7655:7655 \
-v pulse_data:/data \
-e PULSE_DEPLOYMENT_METHOD=docker_run \
--restart unless-stopped \
rcourtman/pulse:vX.Y.Z
Open http://<your-ip>:7655 and follow the bootstrap-token setup. Docker host
monitoring is provided by the unified agent; the Pulse server container does
not need the Docker socket.
Proxmox LXC, Linux, and Kubernetes
The installer is signed. Verify install.sh against the pinned
pulse-installer key before running it:
export PULSE_VERSION=vX.Y.Z
curl -fsSLO "https://github.com/rcourtman/Pulse/releases/download/${PULSE_VERSION}/install.sh" &&
curl -fsSLO "https://github.com/rcourtman/Pulse/releases/download/${PULSE_VERSION}/install.sh.sshsig" &&
ssh-keygen -Y verify \
-f <(printf '%s\n' 'pulse-installer namespaces="pulse-install" ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIMZd/DaH+BldzOkq1A8KVTcFk73nAyrE8aJOyf7i00jm pulse-installer') \
-I pulse-installer \
-n pulse-install \
-s install.sh.sshsig < install.sh &&
bash install.sh --version "${PULSE_VERSION}"
Paste the whole block: installation stops if either download or signature verification fails. Do not run the final command separately to bypass a failure.
The GitHub installer installs the Pulse server. Install and upgrade agents (including v5-to-v6 agent upgrades) with the per-host command generated under Settings → Infrastructure → Install on a host.
Do you need an agent?
Often not. Proxmox VE, PBS, and PMG are monitored through the Proxmox API with a read-only token, so nothing runs on the host and the generated setup script creates a privilege-separated monitoring user. Install the unified agent only where you want data the platform API cannot provide, such as host SMART health, temperatures, Docker hosts, or standalone machines.
The agent is operator-controlled by design. Command execution is off by
default, the local listener binds to localhost, and generated systemd units
ship hardened. On Linux, the installer's --least-privilege profile runs the
service as a dedicated non-root user, with optional scoped sudo grants for
the few collectors that need elevation. The
agent security model documents exactly what the
agent can and cannot do at each privilege level.
Important
GitHub release assets and
rcourtman/pulseimages are Community builds. Relay, Pro, and eligible legacy customers should use the private image or Linux archive provided by the Pulse download portal. Replacing a private Pro runtime with a public Community build removes its private runtime hooks.
Editions
- Community — self-hosted monitoring, seven days of metric history, core SSO, update alerts, and Patrol with your own provider or local model.
- Pro — Community plus Patrol investigation, governed fixes, ninety days of history, centralized agent profiles, RBAC, audit logging, and reporting.
- MSP — for managed service providers: one Pulse Account running many client workspaces, each with an isolated Pulse runtime — separate dashboards, alerts, users, audit history, and reports. Free sixty-day two-client evaluation at Pulse for MSPs.
Relay is no longer sold. Existing Relay subscribers receive Pro features at their current price for as long as their subscription continues. Existing paired phones keep working until 31 March 2027. Relay connects the app, not the web UI. Use your own VPN or tunnel for remote web access. For phone alerts, add an ntfy, Gotify or Pushover destination and open Pulse in your phone's browser.
Core self-hosted monitoring is not gated by monitored-system or child-resource volume. See the runtime-aligned capability reference and current plans for details.
Documentation
- Install and deployment
- Production deployment and security
- Upgrade from Pulse v5
- Releases and update channels
- Configuration
- Platform and agent guides
- Pulse Intelligence
- Security and privacy
- Code signing policy
- Troubleshooting
- API reference and architecture
Localized getting started guides: Deutsch · Español
Development
Pulse uses Go 1.26 and a SolidJS/TypeScript frontend. The managed development
runtime starts the frontend at http://127.0.0.1:5173 and proxies API and
WebSocket traffic to the backend on port 7655.
npm ci
npm --prefix frontend-modern ci
npm run dev
Useful checks:
go test ./...
npm --prefix frontend-modern test
npm --prefix frontend-modern run type-check
python3 scripts/check_public_docs.py
See CONTRIBUTING.md before investing in a code change. Pulse uses an issue-first contribution process and does not normally accept unsolicited pull requests.
Community and support
- Ask questions in GitHub Discussions.
- Report reproducible bugs through GitHub Issues.
- Home Assistant users can use the community-maintained Pulse add-ons.
- If Pulse is useful to you, support its development through GitHub Sponsors or Ko-fi.
License
Everything in this repository is licensed under the MIT License. There is no dual licensing and no commercial or source-available code here.
Pulse Pro is a separate commercial product, built from private sources and distributed through pulserelay.pro. Its use is governed by the Terms of Service, which apply to that product only, not to anything in this repository.